As those of you who have been long-term readers of this blog will remember, my entire life changed when I took up Couch 2 5K. At the time, it was the hardest thing I’d ever done for myself. Now, I look back and can only sort of remember the time before I could run the way I run now — it seems like so long ago. So much has changed.

When I first began Couch 2 5K, I was hoping to speed up my weight loss. I couldn’t run more than a minute or two at a time. Not much weight had come off yet. I wheezed like an asthmatic ancient any time I tried to keep going past about forty-five seconds. I felt gross in all my workout clothes. I was working out in basketball shorts and t-shirts, until my mom (a saint) told me I needed actual workout clothes, so I wouldn’t chafe or suffer. She got me my first set of workout clothes, and I cried. I remember vividly that not much by way of running clothes really fit me very well. I remember being so grateful when we found things that did fit, and felt comfortable. I remember — and have kept, precious and safe in my closet in their box — my first pair of running shoes.

I remember calling my mom, sobbing, the first time I ran a full mile without stopping. I was so proud. I couldn’t believe I did it.

In the time that’s passed since then, I’ve kept on running. In the months after I completed Couch 2 5K, I gave myself challenges: 3 miles a day for a month; 5 miles a day for a month; half marathons — and qualifying for Half Fanatics. I’ve run many races. I have a medal rack, now. The world is different for me. My body is different. My heart and mind are, too.

But! Life gets in the way of even the best habits — and the death-defying struggle to finish my doctoral program didn’t help. In the past year, I’ve really slacked on my running. For a lot of reasons. Some are personal. Some I’ll write about. Either way the bottom line is the same: I’m not where I was.

My speed is a little slower.

My cardio ain’t what it was.

I haven’t run distance in quite some time.

What to do?

Chelsea and I have been talking about signing up for a fall half, though, and recommitting to running. I love the idea, since I love when I run — and love myself, when I run. But as I embark upon the process, I decided I wanted to set some goals for myself.

I wanna be faster. I wanna get my cardio all the way back. I want to run distance… faster.

So! Enter Couch 2 5K, my trusty steed.

I’m beginning the program again, but this time, instead of jogging during the running parts, I’m going to try to run at about 80% max capacity. AKA, I’m gonna push just about as hard as I can to speed it up. And hopefully, over time, I’ll get better at speed + distance.

My line of thinking: When I first completed Couch 2 5K, I WAS running as fast as I could — it’s just that it wasn’t very fast. Now, I CAN run faster — it’s just not comfortable or sustainable (yet). But why shouldn’t this work?

Plus, the start-stop of walk/run/walk/run is great for weightloss since it confuses the heart, muscles and lungs.

So yesterday, I ventured out and tried this for the first time.

Panting like an exhausted puppy at a dog park after each “run,” the walking was welcome. I was mad, though, that my Garmin couldn’t adjust to tell me how fast I was running during the “run” portions — only a general combined time estimate. With walking AND running, I averaged 14:15 per mile — and I was walking a VERY slow 22:00 mile in between runs.

Obviously I could do math to figure this out. But have not yet.

Suffice to say: I think I must have run pretty fast when I was running. Maybe 9:00?

Things I noticed this time, as I begin Couch 2 5K:

My form is beautiful, if I do say so myself. I can feel my abs, back and arms doing WERK for me during the sprints/running sections.

I don’t necessarily feel like I NEED to walk in between runs — slowing down might be good enough — but I’m following the program to the letter, so as not to overestimate or overextend.

I know how to focus and get out of my head in those sprint sections — something I did NOT know how to do way back when, when each second felt an ETERNITY.

I’ll keep you guys posted as this plan develops. Hopefully, my thinking is right: I’ll finish the Couch 2 5K program with a sub-30 5K, and head into working on the same process with Couch to 10K. Eventually, there may be a sub-2:00 half in me. Who knows?

Here’s a pic I took yesterday. Our new home is so beautiful. This little gem is from a random wooded path I found near the local middle school. Steeeeeep hill… but a nice view.

]]>https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2017/05/17/couch-2-5k-a-return-and-a-rethinking/feed/0KarenThinking a Latte About Latteshttps://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/thinking-a-latte-about-lattes/
https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/thinking-a-latte-about-lattes/#respondThu, 04 May 2017 15:53:44 +0000http://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/?p=1249Continue reading Thinking a Latte About Lattes→]]>The pun isn’t even that good, but could I resist?

It should be no secret — and if you didn’t know, it’s time you did — that so much of wellness comes from making conscious choices about how you’ll construct your diet. And by “diet,” I don’t mean, “your calorie savings plan,” I just mean… what you eat, and when, and how. It’s not easy to make smarter or more efficient choices. It’s not convenient a lot of the time. But remembering to order your sandwich without cheese, or to use oil and vinegar on your salad, or to drink water instead of juice… these are all things that make a huge difference. One of my pet causes is trying to find ways to still enjoy sweet stuff and desserts in a healthier life — and one of my favorite indulgences? My caffeine.

What I want to write about today, y’all, is the latte.

At our house, we do love some strong caffeine. C drinks much more coffee than I do – but my poison is stronger than hers: I prefer espresso, and I prefer multiple shots of it in my latte, and I prefer to drink a latte every single morning. I don’t drink coffee again throughout the day — C might down four or five cups depending — I just drink the latte in the morning. And of course, as this ritual is singular AND starts my day, it matters to me that this daily ritual is done right and tastes right.
My love of lattes is so deep that for Christmas, C got me an espresso machine! It brews, froths, the works. I was and am ecstatic.
This gift serves many purposes:

Lattes, without leaving home.

Whatever type of milk I want! Chocolate. Soy. Almond. Whatever.

If a storebought latte is $5, I estimate that brewing at home saves about $20 a week even after buying home brewing supplies — probably more, since a jar of espresso lasts longer than a week for estimations and syrups last for months.

Whatever flavors I want! If this mawma wants a peppermint mocha latte in May, she gon’ have one.

Total control over the caloric content of my drink.

I am now also deep into making tea lattes in the evening.

These reasons are ALL great, friends. But the one I love the most: #5. When you have control over what goes into your food, you’re also controlling what goes into your body and you get to make conscious choices about where you want to splurge, where you don’t, etc. A healthier latte might mean some more dinner, or a bite of dessert, or the ability to have a glass of wine with friends while still hitting weight loss goals.

These things sound trivial, but they’re not: they’re the joys of which life is made, these little moments, and you can prepare for them and ENJOY THEM WITHOUT GUILT if you just make wise choices beforehand. Like, for example, becoming your own barista. You don’t even have to tip yourself. Or you could tip yourself. And save the tips. And buy something fancy. And then tell your spouse you bought it with hard earned tip money. And then have them wonder if you’ve been stripping. And then just let them wonder.
Being able to use sugar free flavor syrups and protein fortified fat free milk have enabled me to master the making of a 20 oz, triple shot, 70 calorie, sugar free latte that has 9.8g of protein and 4g carbs.

For those of you who love a good latte but hate sugar, carbs, calories and things that don’t contain protein… y’all know this is a miracle, right?
So how do I do it? Well, first off, the espresso machine.
But my ingredients are key:

I’ve linked them so you can go check out their options. They’re fantastic, those Skinny Mix flavors. I really love them, and have gotten savvy (thanks, years as a barista!) at flavor mixing to create good combinations.
My most recent triumph? Replicating a sugar free — though admittedly less thick/rich — counterpart to Starbucks’ amazing Coconutmilk Macchiato. It’s delicious (the Starbucks drink) but it is 270 calories for a large. Ugh. Mine is not as creamy, but I figured out the taste combo after creeping Starbucks’ ingredient list.

Ingredients I use (non-syrup):

3 shots of brewed espresso

3/4 cup of Fairlife fat free milk

Syrups I use:

Coconut (2 Tbsp)

White Chocolate (1 Tbsp)

Salted Caramel Mocha (1 Tbsp)

Keep in mind that I am making a very large latte. These syrups would be too much in a smaller cup.

With a little snooping and effort, I was able to make the drink (or something similar) at home with much healthier results. Not a bad way to go, eh?
Obviously the latte machine is an expense not everyone can swing — I get that. If C hadn’t gifted me mine, I would never have one. That said, these syrups aren’t expensive and the milk ain’t either. I get something like 20 lattes from a $3.50 jar of espresso, 8 lattes from a half-gallon of Fairlife, and… jeez, I don’t even know — so far, like five months of nearly daily use out of my syrups. This is a move that, if you really love these drinks, saves you calories AND money over time.

Lesson: You could free yourself from the time, money AND caloric dent that most coffee places snatch from you if you just do a little planning, think outside the box, and experiment. I’m glad I did.

Behold, my Coconut/White Chocolate/Caramel concoction, here made more as a cappuccino in its milk pour than as a latte. I didn’t feel like holding the foam.

It’s beautiful.

Sound off in the comments about your favorite caffeinated choices!

]]>https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/thinking-a-latte-about-lattes/feed/0KarenGotta Run One: Day 9https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/gotta-run-one-day-9/
https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/07/gotta-run-one-day-9/#respondThu, 07 Aug 2014 19:58:51 +0000http://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/?p=1240Continue reading Gotta Run One: Day 9→]]>On Day 9, I did a short two mile recovery run and then p90x yoga! Today also marks the first time I’ve used my Heartrate monitor to get a more accurate calorie count. Suffice to say, life is full of disappointments. If my monitor is to be believed, I earned almost 60 calories less than any of my tracking apps said!

All in all, I would much rather KNOW this, though, than not know. As such, life goes on.

I drove to Scranton and mom and I hit the Heritage Trail. The weather was PERFECT — not quite overcast but definitely cool and breezy. The trail was nearly empty. The run was most excellent. We tried a new offshoot on the path which I think added about 0.25 to 0.5 to things which is also good and necessary if we want to hit 8 comfortably before making it back to the car. Otherwise there would be a lot of running some stretches 3x. Blah!

But yesterday’s run was terrific. I love running with my mom — I love running in general but ever since I was a kid I wished I could run like she did. Well, now I do. And we run together. And it is a celebration of life!

We decided in the picture to wear our Frog Togg’s like the awkward turtles that we are.

I’ve been working on my “Gotta Run One” challenge for, as of today, nine days. How has it been going? Has it been increasing my motivation or detracting from it? How are my little victory sticks doing with no official extended downtime? (Disclaimer: Every knowledgable runner I know said that I would be OK running daily as long as my rest day runs were short, slow and gentle.) Read onward to find out those answers and more!

1. How’s it been going?

So far, so good! I’ve really been getting used to the process of getting out there every day, which surprises me. Why? Certainly not because I lack an interest. Moreso because some days I genuinely do only have time for a single mile — and before this challenge, having only 15 spare minutes or whatever would mean that I just didn’t get my run in for the day. With this challenge, though, I am forced to take those 15 minutes and make it happen every single day. No excuses. And, to my delight, what’s been happening on days other than those time-crunch days? I find that once I’m already out there pounding the pavement, I’m usually inspired to stay out for more than my owed mile. Often it’s 5K for a shorter run; one day, it was 5 miles. I’m trying not to overdo it and overtrain, considering that I am a relatively “new” runner and my long run mileage is really ramping up quickly — I want to avoid injury! So I’m trying to do, out of 7 days, 2 “one or two” mile runs, a medium-length 5 miles or 10K, two shorter 5Ks, a “whatever I feel that day” run, and of course one long run. So far this little challenge has provided great reason to get out and stay out.

2. Is it increasing my motivation or decreasing it?

Yanno, I was really interested to see how this would pan out. I figured one of two things would happen: either 1) the mandatory mile-a-day would lead to me resenting running or 2) it would become the type of habit that I loved even more than I had previously. Thankfully, at Day 9, so far the latter seems to be the case. Rather than it being optional, it’s mandatory — that’s the point — and so instead of waging war with myself about “Eh, but this HEAT/HUMIDITY” or “Eh, but I only have time for like two miles which is barely worth it,” I’ve been happily going out there and doing what I can do, knowing that at least one goal — the goal of running every day – is being met. I actually think that’s where a lot of the joy in this is coming from: I’m being freed from my self-hewn prison of thinking that I MUST log bigger miles or I MUST try to keep a good speed every time I run. Of course, I don’t run as fast as I can every day or always run 10K or more. I have speedwork days, short run days, hillwork days, etc. I think what I’m trying to say is that I’ve been hard on myself — and, 30 lbs later, it seems that it’s been a good strategy — and that I’ve been disparaging of running very short distances. For example: the lone mile. This challenge is helping me reclaim that and is helping me find joy in the corners and hollows of the sport where previously I’d either not been looking or never noticed.

3. How do I feel?

This was the part I was concerned about before the challenge began. The good news is that so far, I am totally fine! Having rest days where I just jog a solitary mile has really been fine as a recovery method. Otherwise, because I’m tempering my speed and my courses, running hard(er) 5 days a week has been no problem. This week alone, on Monday I ran 5.2, on Tuesday 3.19, and Wednesday 8.18. No real soreness to speak of. Of course, today will be a 2 or 3 mile recovery run. The weekend will likely hold some shorter runs and maybe one longer one. Keeping it switched up. And on the shortest running days, I’m doing yoga as crosstraining. Gentler yoga one day, and more intense yoga (the P90X yoga actually) the other day.

4. So overall?

I’m happy, and not sore, and finding a lot of joy in the process. Stay tuned for more to follow! I’ve heard some people keep patterns like this up for a year or more… We’ll see where this journey leads!

This weekend was a very busy but very joyful one; I’ve got no complaints, except that I don’t know how Monday is here already! The weekend, when observed in retrospect, is a good example of ways in which I’ve learned to turn down temptations and/or pre-plan all my food. I agree wholeheartedly with the “Fail to plan? PLAN TO FAIL” mentality – so much of weight loss success is preemptively making sure your food NEEDS are met, so your food WANTS don’t get in the way. Also a tip: I pre-track everything. When I wake up in the morning I plan out, in my tracker, as much of my day as I can. And then, I just refuse to let myself derail from the things I’ve tracked. It’s helpful because I always know what is left over for snacks or a special food.

I’ll go down the list of the weekend’s events!

Saturday: In the morning, I helped out at my parent’s annual neighborhood yard sale. Made about $20.00 selling old stuff from our kitchen and the depths of our basement, since our bridal shower(s) have equipped us well for forward motion! Usually, around lunch time on yard sale day, my mom will send me to Dunkin to pick up coffees and sandwiches for our family. And mind you, as someone who worked for Dunkin from ages 17-23, I am extremely fond of DD sandwiches. However, because we had a bridal shower (!!!!) later in the day, I told my mom I thought I’d have a Greek yogurt instead. And that is what I did.

Saturday, Part 2: One of my very favorite people in the ENTIRE WORLD, Lauren, threw Chelsea and I a Bridal Shower for our friends who are local to the area to attend. It was such a beautiful afternoon! She put such care into every little detail – it was perfect; we loved every minute. We loved also the delicious food she prepared! Chicken and vegetable kabobs, grilled tenderloin, a really fabulous corn salad, greens, fruit salad – the works! It was all delicious and all very WW-friendly, which I so, so deeply appreciated. I did eat a cupcake – but it was a DELICIOUS cupcake, and I REGRET NOTHING. It was so lovely to gather up our NY friends and spend the afternoon laughing, eating, being together, etc. My mom drove out for the Shower, too, so she got to meet a few of our friends from the area which was a particularly great thing. All in all, it was marvelous.

Saturday, Part 3: My best friend and roomie from college, Kim, came too! And she stayed over! And she is one of the only other people that Tag likes! We got hungry late at night and decided to go to Tully’s, where I ordered – wait for it – the same salad that I always order. Not too long ago, I would’ve ordered an intense amount of chicken tenders. But no longer!

Sunday: Got up early and went on my piddly little 1 mile run. I hate only running 1 mile – it’s short and boring! It does, however, get me out there every single day. Which is the point of the GRO challenge. Afterward, I showered and got ready to head to Claudia’s house so we could drive up to Syracuse for our work picnic. Now, consider that I was out of the house from 10 AM to 6 PM. At a picnic. With no way to get “other” food aside from what had been brought. WELL GOOD THING I AM THE QUEEN OF PREPACKED LUNCHES because I brought a lunchbox full of smart, WW-friendly foods and ate them slowly throughout the day. I even brought hot tea in my new thermos (sexy thermos that it is) because hot beverages tend to make a person feel fuller than they are and so I drank my green tea before lunch. All in all, I was extremely proud that I only ate ONE. SINGLE. CORN CHIP. From the buffet of options available. Elsewise, my yogurt and I were happily separate, foodwise. When I got home, I ate a healthy dinner (zucchini-stuffed lasagna, from SkinnyTaste recipe, made by my momma! And also steamed broccoli) and had some blueberries and relaxed.

]]>https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/weekend-roundup-2/feed/0KarenGotta Run One: Day 5https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/gotta-run-one-day-5/
https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/gotta-run-one-day-5/#respondMon, 04 Aug 2014 13:08:11 +0000http://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/?p=1212Continue reading Gotta Run One: Day 5→]]>Well, Sunday was not an optimal running day. I had to leave for a work event by 10 AM, and felt guilty/like a bad hostess to leave my best friend and college roomie, Kim, perched on my couch as I headed out the door. All the same, I only got a single mile in. Very disappointing, but very expected — I knew I wouldn’t have much time this weekend and ANY miles, even single ones, are better than none!

Check out my ridiculous bedhead before I put on my running hat!

was

]]>https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/gotta-run-one-day-5/feed/020140804-090800-32880906.jpgKaren20140804-090713-32833711.jpg20140804-090713-32833295.jpgGotta Run One: Day 4https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/gotta-run-one-day-4/
https://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/2014/08/04/gotta-run-one-day-4/#respondMon, 04 Aug 2014 13:05:18 +0000http://thepointsofitall.wordpress.com/?p=1207Mom and I yard-saled as early as 7 AM, but fear not! We slugged through some super gross humidity to complete a single mile.